Reason why Finn Balor returned to WWE SmackDown

Finn Balor is setting his sights on winning main-roster titles again following his return to WWE SmackDown.

The Irishman won the Universal Championship and Intercontinental Championship (x2) during his three-year run on WWE’s main roster between 2016 and 2019. He is also a two-time NXT Champion.

Speaking on SmackDown post-show Talking Smack, Balor commented on the reaction he received from WWE fans in Houston, Texas. The 39-year-old also made it clear he wants to be back in the title picture.

“It’s good to be back,” Balor said. “It’s SmackDown, the fans are back, and Finn is back. That was a hell of a pop [crowd reaction]. The energy is still running through my body. But yeah, glad to be back.

“Obviously there’s always a plan. I went to NXT, I became NXT Champion. I moved to RAW, I became the first Universal Champion. I became a two-time Intercontinental Champion, went back to NXT, won the NXT Championship, so the reason that I’m here on SmackDown is to win Championships.”

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝑶𝒉, 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌@FinnBalor #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/u2mFXYzrba

— WWE (@WWE) July 17, 2021

Balor has spent the last two years of his WWE career in NXT. Prior to that, he was involved in Intercontinental Championship storylines on RAW and SmackDown in the first half of 2019.

SmackDown's top male singles title, the Universal Championship, is held by Roman Reigns. Apollo Crews currently holds the Intercontinental Championship on SmackDown.

Finn Balor attacked Sami Zayn on his WWE SmackDown return

Finn Balor hit Sami Zayn with the Coup de Grace

On this week’s WWE SmackDown, Sami Zayn demanded that the Money in the Bank briefcase be lowered and given to him. Finn Balor’s music then hit and the former Universal Champion made his long-awaited return to the main roster.

Asked on Talking Smack if he had a message for fans, Balor dropped another hint about what could be in store for him.

“Obviously I’m eternally grateful for the fan support throughout the pandemic,” Balor added. “But my message? Buckle your seatbelts, we’re going for a ride.”

When you see that @FinnBalor is BACK on #SmackDown! pic.twitter.com/CvMXbqkGoW

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 17, 2021

Excluding WWE Superstar Spectacle, Finn Balor’s most recent main-roster WWE match ended in defeat against The Fiend at SummerSlam 2019.

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